I am slightly obsessed with this pencil

Going back to basics, because sometimes it is the best way forward

Yes, this pencil. The black, extra soft one. But there are many other good quality black pencils that will also do the trick.

Blind contour drawing. Mocha Pot.

Every now and then I get the itch to go back to basics. This tends to happen after a period that goes something like this:

It usually starts out simple, with just one medium that I feel excited about. Slowly I will add more mediums and colours to this mixed media mix. Then I will add some more. And some more. And some more. Then my brain will do this kind of freeze thing and I will throw everything I have onto the page. Incoherent colours. Lines that are all over the place. Too much of everything. Until it all bursts and I start to crave simplicity again.

There’s space to breathe when things are simple. Space to think.

Each line has a character of it’s own. Each stroke becomes important.

Ólafur Arnalds inspired Icelandic mountains.

This time around ‘simple’ meant using just this one black pencil. Revelling in each mark it could make. The variety of line weights. The different shades of grey. The shapes. The textures.

I know I have reached my goal when I start to fall asleep at night thinking about the beauty of simple lines. Thick lines. Thin lines. Wobbly, scratchy and smooth lines.

I start to thinking about how one can capture everyday household items with just a few lines. Visualise each stroke.

Contemplate which lines are truly needed to capture a face.

Then taking that line out to a concert so I can remember the music, the singer, the orchestra and conductor.

Using it to make overwhelming and busy airport scenes something that I dare to draw - be it during a fast paced online drawing session. Knowing that I will one day, again, draw it on location, from observation and in real life.

And afterwards? Bringing it home, so it can dance, sing and ‘cosy’ to its heart’s delight.

The sound of that pencil scratch on sketchbook paper.

A black pencil and a few simple lines.

May you find your simple and may it bring you as much calm and delight.

Nino